Notes on a disaster
by Quills and stilettos
Summary: What do you get when you throw in The Brightest Witch of Our Age and the notorious playboy, Draco Malfoy on a tour across the world for an International Magical Creatures Rehabilitation program? A major disaster, off the Richter scale!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello my lovely readers! I've finally decided to sit down and write a decent length Dramione, instead of just drabbles, so here I am! Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer : Anything you recognise, I do not own. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, would i?**

**Chapter 1 : The bombshell**

It was a spectacular day, one of those rare days on which the English weather decided empathize with the poor people whom it bullied throughout the year. The air was full of cheer and the day being a Friday, the delight of the weekend up ahead further raised their spirits. All across England everyone was enjoying the day in a jovial mood. Except two people, that is.

* * *

In the office of the Department of International Magical Cooperation in the British Ministry of Magic, Mr Smith was patiently waiting for an interview with one Draco Malfoy. Mr Smith was an unassuming man, known amongst his colleagues for his cooperative, uncomplaining nature. His boss had especially selected him for this interview after much debate, after all, not many people were fortified to handle the theatrics which he had been assured would succeed his declaration. At four 'o'clock sharp, he was requested to enter the office by overbearing and haughty blonde which he assumed was the secretary.

Mr Malfoy, ever the gentleman, didn't even bother to look up from his files as he entered. After standing in front of his desk for an entire minute without being offered a seat, he took a seat of his own accord. Mr Malfoy finally noticed him but he didn't seem to mind. Without further ado, Mr Smith began reading aloud from the official Ministry document he had been assigned.

Mr Malfoy, he noticed, had a naturally clear and a rather pale complexion. Over the span of nine minutes, during which he was reading the document, he observed a plethora of changing colours on his face like a night sky lit up with fireworks. When he had begun he was sure that Mr Malfoy's face glowed with a pinkish tinge of excitement. As he proceeded, that pinkish tinge blended into a reddish hue of anxiety. By the time he had covered almost half of the document, he was sure that the present greenish complexion of Mr Malfoy' s face was a sure indication that he was about to upchuck his breakfast. Thankfully since nothing of the sort happened he bravely continued. When he had read out about three-quarters of the document, if the bluish pallor of his face and the record number of times he adjusted his tie was anything to go by, he seemed ready to suffocate on his own vomit which he had been so ready to spill forth. (Mr Smith quite liked this shade; it went very well with his grey eyes.) However, as he neared the end of the document, his face turned noticeably purple, and he presently got up from his seat to pace across the room. Mr Smith quietly angled his body towards the door to ensure a ready escape in case Mr Malfoy _did_ act on the destructive tendencies he was currently showing. And when he finally finished reading the document, his face turned a mysterious shade of black and Mr Smith could literally feel the proverbial storm clouds amassing.

He never thought that the words "nine months" could ever have such a profound effect the on another creature.

He was correct in guessing that it was the calm before the storm.

"Get out of my office you filthy excuse of a wizard, you and bloody department can go to Hell", he shouted out bringing down a glass of water down on the table so hard that it cracked under the strain.

Taking it as his cue to leave, Mr Smith was out of the office in the blink of an eyelid. He was well aware of the Malfoy temper and even though the promised theatrics had been even better than watching one of those muggle movies, he really didn't want to stick around for the apocalypse that was sure to follow.

From somewhere he heard a floo-call, "Blaise Zabini, get your lazy arse down here asap. And bring that crate of firewhiskey I bought yesterday."

Poor Mr Malfoy, he thought. To have to hole himself up on such a beautiful day, just his bad luck, he supposed.

* * *

At Grimauld Place, there was cheerful gathering of several Potters Weaselys and Longbottoms for a special brunch to celebrate the achievement of a certain Granger who had just arrived.

Ginnerva Potter lead Hermione into the comfortable drawing room when, upon entering, she was greeted with a shouts of "Congratulations", "Well done", "We are so proud of you Mione".

"You guys, you really didn't have to….", Hermione started, but was interrupted by Harry. "We wanted to do something special, this new job is so important to you, and frankly, we couldn't be happier", he declared as he drew her into a one armed hug.

From beside Ron, Lavender Weasely waved a letter in the air. " And here's the name of the lucky partner."

Ginny quickly grabbed the letter from her. "How did you get this?"

"Ron had the letter redirected here instead, no big deal?", she said.

"Come on Mione, open it", Luna Longbottom encouraged as ahe handed the letter to Hermione. "You better hurry up or the Nargles will get to it before you, and you _don't_ want that to happen", she said with an air of grave seriousness.

"Okay, here goes….." Hermione ripped open the envelope with unsteady fingers.

_Ms Granger,_

_ This is to inform you that you have been selected to work along with Mr Draco Malfoy from the Department of International Magical cooperation to participate in the International Rehabilitation programme for the endangered species of magical creatures. The duration of the programme will be nine months, during which you will travel around the world to help rescue and rehabilitate these creatures. The programme will commence in one week time, on 12.6.2003. We sincerely hope for the success of this programme and request your complete cooperation and your undiluted effort. _

_Thanking you,_

_The British Minister for the Control and Care for Magical Creatures_

"I going to kill that ferret!", Hermione screamed out.

Immediately, three pairs of feminine hands were in action, patting her back, stroking her hair and embracing her tightly. But nothing seemed to appease the bloodlust she had acquired. "Four years, I've given four bloody years of my life for this opportunity, I am NOT going to let Malfoy ruin this for me. There is only one way out, I _have to_ kill him."

"Can't you get a different partner?", Harry suggested helpfully.

"Are you kidding me? We are the _only_ two people selected from the _entire_ British Ministry for this job. Change of partner, my foot!"

"It's just nine months, Mione, I'm sure you'll be able to take him on. You're the Brightest Witch of Our Age, you'll figure something out", Neville said. If looks could kill, Hermione would have butchered Neville with her eyes alone, for that comment.

"I suggest you call a truce, after all, this is just as important to Malfoy", Ginny said, ever the voice of wisdom.

"Its Malfoy we're talking about, get real people! I suggest with continue with Mione's initial plan to Avada his arse", Ron shouted from his seat.

"I agree!", Hermione chorused.

If anything, it was going to be a long nine months thought Luna as she calmly petrified Hermione to prevent her from actually walking up to Malfoy's office and murdering him.

* * *

**End Note: I am not under any circumstances going to abandon my other fanfic, " Fear of death follows form the fear of life". I'm going to updates at the same rate as I do now. **

**I've decided to post a chapter every Friday, and have a poll throughout the week to decide which creatures you guys want to see them take on. Please vote, otherwise the whole idea of this fanfic is a bit pointless! Also, if you have any ideas for some creatures, you can PM me along with the country they are found in. I'll try to do at least one creature per country.**

**And if you have suggestions for the name, please PM me, i am clueless in that respect.**

******The voting is open now! You can vote on my profile.**

**I'd love it if you leave a little review. Love it? Hate it? Want me to quit writing? (As if :)) Don't think twice before pelting me with whatever thought is on your mind!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: As promised, here's the Friday update. Hope you like the chapter. BTW, don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 2: The truce

Mr John sat pensively in his seat as he watched the brunette before him look at her watch for the twentieth time in a span of two minutes, before giving him an apologetic smile and resuming her assessment of his office. Not that he was counting, mind you, but just that he happened to notice. Suddenly the door opened with a report and Draco Malfoy sauntered in, throwing him a most unapologetic smile, before taking a seat.

"Fashionably late again, Malfoy?", Hermione asked acidly, "In case you didn't notice some of us have jobs to return to instead of sitting here and waiting on you."

"Missed me so much, did you? We'll you'll be happy to know that you'll get to see much more of me over the next nine months", he gave her a wink before turning to face Mr John once again.

Hermione inwardly cringed. Malfoy in a happy mood was so much worse than when he was behaving all snarky.

Much to her surprise, the meeting progressed quite smoothly. Malfoy, she observed, knew when to behave professionally and though she was reluctant to admit it, she did appreciate this gesture. Not one joke or untoward comment came her way throughout the whole meeting, and by the time it was over, she feeling a bit guilty for having judged Malfoy on his expertise even before having met him. But now that she felt that Malfoy was ready to exchange the olive branch, she decided that she would do the same.

She was wondering why his was in such a good mood, as they left Mr John's office. She didn't have to wait too long for the answer. As soon as they had entered the reception area, her auditory nerves were attacked by a most inhuman squeal.

"Drakie ! What took you so long?", a leggy blonde squealed as she walked up to Draco, who pretended like she didn't exist and nonchalantly walked past her towards the row of elevators. As the three of them entered an empty elevator and Hermione made sure to stand as far away from the 'supposed' couple as was possible.

To her horror, the blonde leaned into Draco, and Hermione had the sudden urge to gouge out her own eyes, but she contented herself with merely looking away and praying to Merlin that they didn't start snogging in front of her.

" For once I thought that you were up to something with that other girl in the office, but then I remembered that there was that guy with you as well. But after what we just did in the bathroom, I knew that you wouldn't have the energy to give it another go", she whispered into his ear, pressing herself into him. Malfoy let out a snort of laughter at the mere prospect.

If you could throw up inside your mouth and shove it back down again, that's pretty close to what Hermione was experiencing. When she had finally overcome the gag reflex, she suddenly realised something.

"Were you fifteen minutes late because you were too busy shagging her into the wall?", she asked disbelievingly.

Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly.

When she remembered the smug smile on his face when he had entered, she had to fight the urge to repeatedly knock his head again the elevators doors till it made a dent in them.

"Really Malfoy, I at least expected a bit more of standards from you", remarked irritated.

"At least women find me attractive, Granger. But with you, I swear, no man would want to shag you even if paid to", he retorted coolly.

"Forgive me for not sleeping with every slag I come across", she said, looking straight at the blonde who was obliviously playing with his tie.

"What a prude! Well news flash grandma, this is the twenty first century."

"And here I was thinking that you were professional in your approach", she muttered under her breath as they elevator doors finally opened to let them out. As literally ran to the apparition point, or walked very fast as she liked to put it, she realized that by signing up for nine months with Malfoy, she might have lunged into a suicide mission.

* * *

_Granger,_

_ We need to call a truce, or else either one of us may end up dead within a fortnight. Meet me at The Grand tonight at 6. Be sharp._

_D M._

This, including a rather bothersome owl which also scratched her, was what greeted her at her breakfast table the next day. The tone of the letter was in itself very imperious and Hermione was a tad annoyed at his superiority complex, but a smile made its way onto her face when she pictured the displeasure in his scrunched up face as he had written it. The letter itself spoke volumes about its writer. The quill had been pressed so hard into the parchment that it left an impression on the other side. Instead of signing it with a flourish, Malfoy had driven the pen so hard into it that she could almost see a hole through the splatter of ink. And to top it all off, he had not even bothered to chuck it and write a fresh letter that didn't include ink stains and torn parchment.

But it would be difficult to survive without a truce, so she quickly wrote down an agreement and sent off the owl.

Now for the evening, what the hell was she going to wear!

I guess a little explanation is due. Almost immediately after the war she and Ron had broken up after realizing that they were simply too good as friends to risk a relationship. Since then, she had gone out on a moderate number of dates, but the pressure of her job coupled with her ambition to rise to the top had somewhat overshadowed her ambition to get a steady boyfriend. Hence, she was in a dilemma. Not that this qualified as a date or anything but she _did_ have to look good. She would not let Malfoy be the center of all attention. Tonight, if the people everywhere would be staring at their table, it would be because of _her _and not the ferret-face sitting in front. With that resolve firmly in mind she set off to search for her lifeline, Ginny.

* * *

Hermione Granger was known to be a level headed person who made prudent and sensible decisions. After three hours, when she gazed upon her empty closet and her bed overwrought with clothes, she seriously doubted if asking Ginny for help had been a wise choice.

"Mione, you can't wear anything from her, we need to go shopping", she declared as she inspected the last of her dresses.

Yup, definitely a bad decision.

"We should probably also get you some new clothes for your tour!", she squealed as the idea dawned upon her.

Maybe it was one of the worst decisions of her life.

And that is how the afternoon found the both of them in Diagon Alley with an ecstatic Ginny barely able to contain her excitement at the prospect of having rescued her fashion-challenged best friend, and an not so ecstatic Hermione who looked ready to maul the first person that came her way. After they had finally unloaded their purchases, Ginny decided that it was finally time to get to the real action.

"Mione, you're my best friend, so I'll be blunt with you", she promptly declared as she plopped down into the sofa.

"Please go ahead, don't spare me", Hermione joked.

"Okay, first up, here's the brutal truth. You haven't dated anyone ever since you broke up with Ron."

Okay, maybe Ginny didn't get the 'joke' part.

"Well, there was that guy from office…" Hermione began but was cut short.

"Relationships less than a month don't qualify. What I mean to say is that now that Malfoy has finally asked you out you shouldn't let this opportunity go to waste."

"Which part of a TRUCE don't you understand?" Hermione huffed, irritated. "Besides, I'll let you know that he was late to our meeting because he was busy another slag of his. Please, I have way better standards than Malfoy!"

"Do you know that at the moment he is the most eligible bachelor in the whole of Britain?" Ginny smirked at her annoyance.

"Says who?", Hermione said childishly. If Malfoy was the most eligible bachelor, who would be the female version, Mc Gongall?

"You know, something tells me that you'll find out the reason soon enough", Ginny replied knowingly as she pulled out the dress for the evening.

"And if you play your cards right, he might just be extra quick about telling you why", she said as she gave an exaggerated wink towards Hermione who looked ready to vomit.

"For some reason I want to hold onto that lunch I had earlier, so spare me the horror Ginny!", Hermione replied, weakly.

It wasn't fair, Ginny was enjoying this _way_ too much!

* * *

**End Note: Another chapter done! Tell what you liked/hated. Any criticism is more than welcome.**

**Don't forget to vote! And remember to PM any creature you would like to see.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello my lovely reader's! Here's the date chapter you've all been waiting for ( I hope :). Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize, doesn't belong to me. I you thought that it did, I'd suggest that you Google J K Rowling.**

Chapter 3: It could have been worse! (Maybe)

Hermione adjusted the strap of her dress as she stepped in front of the mirror one last time. Ginny had really outdone herself. The gauzy peach coloured dress beautifully defined her body and the sheer amount of Sleekeasy potion that Ginny had slathered on, even though it almost tipped her head, made her usually untamed hair look like a vision in brown, with the glossy ringlets gracefully framing her face. Hermione was never vain but tonight she agreed that she did look exquisite indeed. She'd show Malfoy who was the charmer.

She grabbed her hand bag off the table to apparate, but stopped when she heard a knock on the front door. To her surprise, it was her boss on the other side of the door. She unobtrusively let her in and offered her a seat. Mrs Morgan was a strict, no nonsense woman, and to be frank, Hermione was a bit scared of her. Having her in her home unnerved to no end her and she hoped that whatever reason she had come for wouldn't take up much of her time. After all she had only half an hour to go before the date and she liked to be punctual.

Without further ado, Mrs Morgan went straight to the point. "Ms Granger, I am here on a very urgent business. I don't mean to flatter you, but I'd like to say that you are my most hard working employee. Indirectly, you have always been the face of our department. What I wish to say is that, if used wisely, this new program will help us to project a more positive and progressive image of our department. I am aware that you have a little history with Mr Malfoy. I honestly hope that the both of you will put away your differences and be professional about it. Ms Granger, if there is anyone who I know is capable of rising to my position, it's you. I've seen the passion with which you work and your grit and determination. I want you to make the most of this opportunity, because I know that you are capable of so much more", she said, looking straight into her eyes with her intimidating stare.

Hermione was touched by the older woman's concern and her faith in her abilities. "I'll try my best, I promise that I won't let you down, ma'am."

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's see what outfit you'll be wearing today", she said, her voice laced with sugar.

Hermione good naturedly stood up to let her get a better look at the dress.

"Goodness! Ms Granger, do you intend to wear a dress with an open back? Don't you think that Mr Malfoy may get the wrong impression?" she admonished.

"I didn't really give it much thought, maybe I should charm it to cover my back", she added feeling a bit uncomfortable at having it pointed out.

"You should probably also increase the length a bit, you know, so that it covers your knee. Seems more modest that way."

"You're probably right, it might look a bit odd", Hermione said as she made the adjustments. If anything, she surely didn't want to appear like one of those desperate women who always threw themselves at other men!

"By the way, Ms Granger, have you melted beeswax over your head to hold your hair together? It's plastered to your head. You should remove some of that thing and let your hair flow naturally, gives it more volume, or you could tie it into a bun, that way it'll looks more professional."

"Even I think that it appears more artificial that way, I'll redo it", Hermione said as she charmed the Sleekeasy off her mane and conjured a loose but clean bun.

"Are you going to be wearing those shoes?" Mrs Morgan asked contemptuously, pointing at the pair of elegant peak toes she was wearing. "They look horrible on you, your feet are hideously large. I suggest that you wear boots", she declared.

"Do I have really bad feet…"

"Ms Granger, do you or do you not own a pair of boots?"

"Wait a minute, I'll _Accio_ them", Hermione said in a small voice as she reluctantly let go of the gorgeous shoes and donned the said boots.

"Something's missing, …. maybe you should wear a blazer, it'll bring the outfit together, nothing says 'business' like a crisp blazer." Mrs Morgan stated as she stood up from her seat to examine her masterpiece of a costume. "You look stunning Ms Granger, I'm sure that Mr Malfoy will really appreciate the effort you put into it."

* * *

Malfoy greeted her in an unusually cheerful manner as she arrived and took a seat before him. It was a posh restaurant and she approved of his taste.

"I must thank you for having agreed to come. Calling a truce was really necessary, I hope that we can put aside our,…er…_differences_ and work together as a team", he said as he courteously helped her into her seat.

"Of course, Malfoy, and I really appreciate the gesture", she proffered. "By the way, it's great that you managed to ward off the paparazzi, I half-expected to get mobbed on my way here."

"It wasn't a problem", he replied slowly.

Malfoy was behaving almost _normally_, she thought. Something was up. She did NOT like the way he was stealing glances at her when he thought that she wasn't looking or the way he would quietly smile to himself whenever she would catch him staring, as they ordered their food.

"What's wrong with you Malfoy?", she asked after ten whole minutes of suppressing her curiosity.

"Do you know, it's highly amusing to imagine how you put together this outfit of yours? It seems like your fashionably challenged boss decided to drop by and gave your instructions about your dress at the last minute and you most obligingly lapped it up like the people-pleaser you are", he snickered.

Now we're back on track. The unadulterated glee on his face when Hermione turned a beet red, to a passer-by might have appeared as if he had won a lottery!

"Of course not! Now that's an outrageous thought", she declared, albeit in a very diminutive voice.

They were interrupted by a familiar saccharine sweet voice, "I'm so sorry for being late, I hope I haven't kept you waiting for long", tittered the lady as she slipped into the seat beside Malfoy without ado.

"Remember the truce, Granger", he uttered before turning to face the lady.

"Of course not, Ms Skeeter, please begin with the interview, the sooner we get it over with the better", Malfoy drawled.

How many ways can you rip out a person's limbs so that he feels maximum pain? Maybe it's good to slice open his torso first, or would it better to start by splitting open his skull? ...Hermione's line of murderous thought was interrupted by a, "I just love your outfit Ms Granger, you didn't pick it up at Fashion Disasters Anonymous, did you?", Skeeter said in her usual high handed manner, while Malfoy just grinned, but while making a visible effort to control his laughter.

If the Ministry found Skeeter's body slashed beyond recognition in the morning, it wouldn't be her fault, thought Hermione. "I assure you, Ms Skeeter, that unlike you, I try to avoid the flee markets when I go shopping for clothes", she replied sweetly. "You never know when you might catch flea or a _beetle._"

That shut her up for good.

Hermione knew that she was insecure about the way she looked, after all neither did she ever put much thought into her clothes, nor was she a gifted fashionista like Ginny. But she realized that today, she had taken that insecurity to a whole new level. Whoever goes to their _boss_ for fashion advice?

She now realized that indulging her overzealous boss had been a disaster waiting to happen. That's what you get for being the damned people-pleaser.

Thing is, Mrs Morgan's comments had really stroked her more prudish sensibilities which were already on edge after having allowed Ginny to 'dress her up' like a mannequin. That's what you get for self-imposed abstinence and partying-is-a waste-of-time-rule.

"So Ms Granger, what do you think about working with Mr Malfoy?"

"I think that it's a great opportunity for me to reach out to the aid of the poor creatures around the world who are…."

"That's not what I meant, let me rephrase it for you. What do you think of working with Mr Malfoy, the Witch Weekly's Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year for three years running?" said Skeeter, revelling in Hermione's discomfort.

"Good, maybe", Hermione croaked out, while Malfoy smirked in all his glory. Maybe she should burn all of Malfoy's hair, he really obsessed over it.

"Really, Ms Granger, you should be more thankful, witches all over the world kill to be in your place", Skeeter remarked. "Mr Malfoy, how do you intend to put up with Ms Granger, who is known to be a very interventionist woman and plain overbearing, in general?"

"You underestimate me, Ms Skeeter. Usually, I prefer to be the one directing and I assure you that with Ms Granger it won't be any different", he said throwing a wink her way.

The rest of the hour long interview continued in the same manner with that damned Skeeter buttering up Malfoy, who was smooth talking his way out of every curve- ball she sent him. Sadly, Hermione didn't fare as well. All of Skeeter's questions were focussed on her love- life (or lack of it) and it caught her completely off guard. What a pity, she had even memorised a three feet essay on the positive points of the rehabilitation program!

Hermione had to keep her wand on the table so that she would not be tempted to hex the two sodding gits. By the time the interview was over, her face was all shades of purple as she downed her fourth glass of Firewhiskey in one go.

Just as she had left, Malfoy slipped her a little vial. "_Cheer up potion- To get over a bad day, bring out the sunshine. _Seriously, Malfoy!"

"What! Is it wrong for a person to value their life?" Malfoy exclaimed dramatically. "You looked ready to rip me open with your bare hands back there."

Malfoy had officially crossed the line, she thought. If he thought that she would let him walk all over her, he was making a grave mistake. He'd played his shot, now it was her turn.

This meant war.

* * *

**End Note: I hope you liked the chapter, I had a blast while writing it. It's actually based on something that happened to me. All I can say is, never as your brother for fashion advice, no matter how fashion-challenged you think you are.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you could help me with the name of the fanfic.**

**Here's some info on the creatures on this week's poll:**

**Encatado: They are shape-shifters who turn into really hot Brazilian men. Then they go and enchant a woman and often drag her into the water to kill her. Usually, even if the woman is saved in time, she becomes insane. They're pretty horrible creatures.**

**Hidebehind: They lurk in the woods and forests and prey on the people there. They are known for their ability to suck in their body till they're almost two dimensional, which makes them much more difficult to spot. They drag their prey into their den to devour them in a gruesome manner. **

**Aswang: They're similar to vampires, except that they can only be female and are more cannibalistic. They appear in the form of a black dog or a boar to humans.**

**I'd love it if you leave a little review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm back in action! I received some great suggestions on how Hermione would extract revenge, and I must say that some my readers have a really great imagination ; Hope you like this chapter!**

Chapter 4: Part 1 Revenge is all the sweeter.

Malfoy cautiously entered the office room, but only after making sure that the Minister was inside. His was willing to take no risks. After the truce had gone up in flames, he had had to increase his vigilance manifold. Sadly, he knew only too well just how good Granger was with her wand and he certainly didn't want it aimed his way. The Minister greeted him indifferently as he offered him a seat beside Granger who had just arrived. Surprisingly, Granger was not hostile or defiant like he had expected. It unnerved him so much that he wondered whether he had slipped her an oblivion potion instead of a cheerfulness potion that day. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were blank and expressionless. All the better to hide her little plan, he thought. Well, she'd just have to try harder because he didn't intend to give in so easily.

The Minister handed them the portkey which was in the form of a pendant. Instead of having it timed, it was activated by opening the clasp. This way, it guaranteed more safety, he explained. Granger immediately took the proffered pendant and hung it around her neck. "If you are ready, you may attend the press conference now", the Minister offered as he showed them out into the corridor. "The reporters are in Room 209 at the left end of the corridor", he informed them before he went back into his office.

They walked in an eerie silence which seemed to weigh down upon him. Okay, so she's giving me the cold treatment, he thought. Still, it was tonnes better than having a jinx aimed at him. But he did feel kind of bad for having unleashed Rita Skeeter on her on such a short notice. But that was supposed to be the fun part, he reminded himself. Him and Blaise had laughed over the article on her hideous sense of dressing for the rest of the week, at least when they were not busy laughing over her notion of what it would be like to be stuck with him for the next nine months. God, she was a prude, he thought.

When they reached the room, they first were shown into a smaller chamber for them to relax a bit and the release the tension so that this time their interview wasn't as disastrous as the last one. A petite brunette offered him his cup of light brewed jasmine infused green tea and gave Granger her mug of instant coffee. The room was sparsely furnished and he took a seat on the couch that remained after Granger had occupied the only other stool.

"You might want to check your reflection, Malfoy. I guess that today you've finally proven that you _can _look like an even bigger idiot", she said nonchalantly. The blood in his veins ran cold. What the Hell had that witch done.

He hastily hurried into the bathroom but one look in the mirror had him thinking that it had been a bad decision after all.

"YOU GAVE ME DREADLOCKS!"

All of his beautiful, precious hair was now matted into gruesome dreadlocks that ran down to his waist. He was too scared to even touch it. This was the cruellest thing anyone had ever done to him. Soon, his anger was replaced by a deep rooted remorse that almost made him want to cry. How would he go out in public again? Hell, he was due for an appearance in a few minutes. It was all Granger's fault. He would burn down her hair for this, but no, that would probably make her grateful to him, he thought. But at the moment his main concern was that interview.

He almost broke down the bathroom door in anger, but when he returned the room was empty.

"Where the Hell are you Granger! Be a man…..or woman….. and show your face", he bellowed in anger.

"Umm….., Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger has already gone to the interview, and she asked me to give you this before you left", came a mousy voice from somewhere. The brunette bravely emerged from her hiding place behind the couch and with quivering hands handed him a small vial. '_Cheer up potion_' read the cover.

In a rage he threw the vial across the room and it shattered as it hit the wall. The girl seemed ready to faint from fear.

How dare she! He possibly couldn't face the media with hair like this, he had to do something. The Malfoy honour was at stake here! Just then, he had an idea. Taking out his handkerchief from his pocket, he transfigured it into a huge scarf.

"I want you to wrap it around my head so that it entirely covers my hair", he ordered the girl who anxiously scampered up to him.

After he was satisfied with the result, he went back into the bathroom to take a look. Not too bad he though, after all _nothing_ could ever look bad with that face, he thought as he smirked to himself. If Granger wanted to play dirty, he'd show her dirty.

"Err…Mr Malfoy, you're kind of late and ….."

"Yeah, I'm going. By the way, do you have any extra cheer up potion on you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Ms Granger told to me to keep a spare, just in case."

"Thank you!" He knew that he'd need it.

* * *

The interview room was abuzz with excitement. Apparently Granger had brushed up her 'people skills' and had managed to keep the crowd entertained in his absence. As he pushed open the door, the entire room fell into a hush. Most interviewers composed themselves and sat up straighter as he strutted in and some even rose to greet him. He could see the questions hanging at the tip of their tongues about the monstrous turban on his head, but nobody had the guts to actually ask him about. The world was back to normal and he was back on top of the food chain, he thought as he smirked to himself.

The only person who seemed unperturbed by his presence was Granger. She didn't even bother to look up when he entered and when the reporters had paused their questions, she merely busied herself in arranging the sheet of requested question that sat on the table. As he sat down beside her, she didn't even acknowledge his presence, but reached forward for her glass of water and took a long sip in anticipation of the interview that would resume. She was probably short of words on seeing him, he thought. That right Granger, you should be scared.

He confidently relaxed into his seat and just when Granger returned her glass of water to the table, he grabbed his own glass which sat just beside hers and in doing so casually brushed his fingers against hers. She hastily removed her hand when it came into contact with his as if it'd been burned. This was fun, he thought. He downed the entire glass in one swift gulp to ease some of the tension from having to balance such a huge mass on his head.

"Please resume the questions", he stated.

"Mr Malfoy, what do think of this tour with Ms Granger as your companion?" asked a pretty redhead.

"Who, Granger? Not to worry, I'll have her dead and her chopped up body returned to England in little soup cans …..say, by next week", he smiled.

Too bad the reporter looked ready to throw up.

"He's got such a wicked sense of humour, hasn't he", Granger laughed from beside him. "I was just telling them what an honour it is to get work with someone of your talent and expertise", she grinned.

What the Hell was she getting at?

"Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger was just telling us what a great time the two of you had after the previous interview, even though the interview itself was a bit…er…rough. How did you enjoy her company?" a person from the back asked.

"Granger said that? I don't know. I mean, I called Skeeter because I wanted to piss her off. I thought that Skeeter would skin her alive, but I guess I'll just have to try harder next time", he smiled sheepishly.

"Are you ready to face the deadly creatures that lie in wait for you?"

"Yeah, I just hope that there aren't any ferrets, I'm a bit scared them. Once I was turned into a ferret as a punishment and then I was put into the pants of a friend of mine…who was going commando. Traumatised me for life, it did. Still, have nightmares about it", he smiled gleefully.

It definitely looked like the press was even more traumatised at having to hear that bit of information. A heavy silence settled on the room. Suddenly the soft murmur of a stifled laughter could be heard. It was enough incentive. In a matter of seconds, everyone in the room was rolling in the floor with laughter. People gasped and panted for air and fell over chairs in their hilarity.

Guess, I am still the ultimate, even thought he had never thought that making people laugh was his forte. It was only when he saw the smug expression on Granger's face that he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Cheerfulness potion a little too much for you, Malfoy? By the way, if I were you, I wouldn't drink anymore of that water, there's only so much _Veritaserum_ your system can take."

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. His brain screamed at him to act upon his reflex to just throttle her then and there, but he just felt so bloody happy Goddamnit! Here he was grinning like an idiot when he could see his life crumbling down all around him. "I'll probably have to wear a paper bag on my head every time I appear in public, Granger. But you know what, I think I had it coming", he flashed her one of his most brilliant smiles. Stop smiling right now, his brain screamed at him, but by now the potion had fully kicked in and he could feel an effervescent joy bubbling up inside of him. Note to self: DESTROY the company that sells this potion. Turn every employee out into the building and raze the main office to the ground. Ah! Just thinking about it made him feel better, at least his brain wasn't so obliviously cheerful.

"By the way Malfoy, why the sudden turban? I'm pretty sure that we're miles away from the Indian Subcontinent", Granger smiled mischeviously.

Don't open your mouth, if you do, even with a bag over your head you won't be able to step out in public, his brain warned him. He could feel the answer hanging at the tip of his tongue. Act fast! Act fast! Act fast! Well, what he was about to do, wouldn't be as bad he consoled himself, as he grudgingly bent down and began stuffing the tablecloth into his mouth. In a matter of seconds the cloth was banished from his mouth and he heard himself taking again.

"I am sporting dreadlocks! But I don't think that it does justice to my face, so I'm wearing a turban", he declared cheerfuly.

That got them to shut up. All eyes were trained on him, no one so much as batted an eyelid. This was the scoop of the century!

"Mr Malfoy can we have a look?" some braveheart asked.

"Sure", he replied as he slowly reached up to unwind the scarf. Forget anger or revenge, he just felt sad. After all those years he had spent in reconstructing the Malfoy family name, it would all go down the drain. All those tireless interview, all those sleepless night he'd spent making public appearances, they wouldn't count a thing. Because after he unwound that turban, he'd be back to square on with positively no hope of ever succeeding. He'd never thought that Granger had it in her to be so cruel, but he had grossly underestimated her. This was merely revenge for a bad interview, he knew he didn't deserve _this._ But then why did he constantly hear that niggling voice at the back of his head that said that _maybe he did_?

* * *

**End Note: Ooooooooh cliffhanger! I love little cliffies!**

**I'd initially planned to make this one long chapter, but it ended up close to 4k. Hence, I'd like to tell you that I have the second part all typed out and ready to post!**

**BUT, here's the catch, if I get at least five more reviews, the chapter's gonna be up first thing on Saturday. Otherwise, you'll have to wait till Wednesday for me to update because I'll be flying to the other end of the country for an interview.**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE : I'll be posting throughout the week and not only on Fridays because i figured that that way i'd have to turn out around 4k chapters each time. The encounters start from next week. You can vote for the creature of your choice throughout the week, and it will be featured the next week.**

**Votings close every Friday, so you can still pitch in a vote!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I am finally back after my interview. Here's the second half, hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 4: Part 2 Realisation

"_Mr Malfoy can we have a look?" some braveheart asked._

"_Sure", he replied as he slowly reached up to unwind the scarf. Forget anger or revenge, he just felt sad. After all those years he had spent in reconstructing the Malfoy family name, it would all go down the drain. All those tireless interview, all those sleepless night he'd spent making public appearances, they wouldn't count a thing. Because after he unwound that turban, he'd be back to square on with positively no hope of ever succeeding. He'd never thought that Granger had it in her to be so cruel, but he had grossly underestimated her. This was merely revenge for a bad interview, he knew he didn't deserve this. But then why did he constantly hear that niggling voice at the back of his head that said that maybe he did?_

Suddenly, a hand covered his to stop him. "I believe that we've had enough for one day. The denoted time for the interview is over and the both of us have a portkey to catch. So if you'll kindly excuse us." She'd saved him! But why…..

He could feel that the cheerfulness potion had worn off, and now he felt a strange hollowness encompass him. When they were back in that small room, he didn't know whether to curse her for inflicting such damage on him or thank her for stopping him. So he kept silent.

It was Granger who broke the silence. "Malfoy, I believe that our last attempt at calling a truce didn't prove to be that successful. So, I'm giving you a second chance. If you agree to work with me as a team and keep that trap of yours shut during the duration of our work, I have an Oblivion potion with me which I am willing to slip into the goblets of pumpkin juice presently being served to the reporters. I also have the antidote for your dreadlocks, which I'll give you only if you promise not to ruin my image and stop pulling pranks to make me look like an idiot. In return, I swear to give my best effort and fully cooperate with you, no questions asked."

He was dumbstruck. Frankly, he'd never thought that Granger had it in her. Even though he was reluctant to admit it, he did respect the woman who was standing before him, and maybe he was also a bit scared of her. He didn't say anything, just extended his hand with she promptly shook. "Thank you, Granger." She didn't reply, just handed him the two vials and walked out.

He looked at the tiny bottles before him, but from now onwards, he swore that he would think twice about ingesting any and every liquid. He figured that he still had two hour before the reporters left after their lunch. Enough time to have the potions tested.

* * *

He waited in his office for the test results too afraid to go out. The turban was still wrapped around his head. Suddenly, he felt the fabric sagging down till within a few seconds it lay crumpled on his head. He hastily took it off and examined his hair in front of the mirror. It was perfectly back to normal.

A very unmanly shriek of joy rang out through the Ministry.

Draco Malfoy had gotten his groove back! He never realised that he loved his hair so much, …..maybe he did , but definitely not the self assured obsession he was currently feeling. But just then another thought struck him, he'd never drunk the antidote Granger had given him. Now what the hell was that supposed to mean?

He gave his robes a quick brush before he walked up to the fireplace. He'd have to pay a little visit to the testing lab.

* * *

The potions testing lab was a part of the Auror department and he met many familiar faces on his way. But time was running out so he merely marched on to a crowded table where a wrinkled old man was busily pouring concoction into a test tube. He looked up from his work when he arrived and immediately abandoned it and offered him a seat.

"Ah! Mr Malfoy, I was just about to deliver your report. The tests had a very curious result, I must say."

Malfoy tapped his foot in nervousness.

"Sir, it turned out that both the potions which you sent for testing turned out to be _water_."

"Are you out of your mind! I order you to run the tests again and again till you come with something", he barked at the cowering old man.

"Now that you think of it,…..there was one thing that was a bit peculiar …."

"Spit it out old man, I don't have all day", he said, irritatedly.

"You see, that the water in the vials which you gave me was a very special kind of water."

Malfoy was hanging on to his every word, listening with rapt attention.

"It's what muggles called _mineral water_, and it is meant for drinking purpose, though not that type of drinking mind you…"

"Shut up you idiot! I know what mineral water is!", he yelled. He didn't know what Granger was getting at, but he needed some Oblivion potion and fast. And he knew just the person to ask for help.

* * *

The Head of the Auror Department was just about to enjoy his lunch when he was interrupted by an urgent knocking on his door.

"Open up Potter, it's me Malfoy".

Guess his lunch would have to wait. Grudgingly he opened his door to let Malfoy in. He and Malfoy were on friendly terms after having to spend a years together rounding up the remaining Deatheaters. They weren't the type of friends whom you invite to your son's birthday party, but more like the friend you'd invite over for a beer.

"I need some Oblivion potion, and I need it fast", he declared without ceremony.

"Whoa Malfoy, calm down. What's got your wand in a knot?" Harry joked as he looked through his cluttered drawer for a spare vial. A two minute long search and several _Accio_ spells later, he informed Malfoy that he was out of the said potion.

"If you are in immediate need of the potion, why don't you register for it like normal people", he winked at Malfoy.

"I mean that if I don't get it within the next half an hour, I might have to jump off a bridge or something", Malfoy huffed.

"It's Mione, isn't it."

"Don't even get me started about her, I'm going to kill that woman the minute I finally figure out this mess."

"Seriously, Malfoy, after all that she's done for you?" he stated a bit irritated.

"Do you have any idea of what she's…..?"

"Shut up Malfoy!", he tiredly rubbed his eyes. Would the drama in his life never end?  
"After you so cordially embarrassed her in that last interview, Ginny got so angry about her dress that she's stopped talking to her. Mione looked bloody miserable after the bashing that Ginny gave her, and all of that's thanks to you. Now before you continue with your little tirade, I'd like to inform you that she had already spiked those reporter's drinks with Oblivion potion just in case you couldn't keep your mouth shut after taking in that _Veritaserum_. And you've probably figured out that that wonderful hairdo of yours which I missed was also temporary, half an hour to be exact. And now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to the wonderful lunch Ginny spent hours cooking for me."

That shut him up.

"Err…..I'll just be leaving then…..good day, Potter."

"Get out."

"Saturday, drinks on me, Potter."

"Close the door, Malfoy."

As he walked down the corridor to the Floo place, several thought were crashing into his head like bludgers gone awry. Had Hermione actually done all of that even before he'd agreed to the truce? Whoever did that? It was very foolish of her to go about her revenge in such a tasteless manner, he decided. What wasted potential, it could have been a brilliant plan. Thank God Granger was still _Granger_, he thought. Otherwise, he didn't know how he would've survived. But that day Granger had proven something to him, one didn't need to step over people to rise in other people's eyes. Even though it took him some time to admit it to himself, but he realized now there were only two women in the world that he held in high respect, one was his mother and the other one was _Hermione Granger._

* * *

**End Note: This is for all those who thought that Hermione was being a bit vindictive! Come on, it's Hermione after all. **

**I have some good news. Now that my interview is over, I can finally give up on my fourteen hours a day of maths. I'll try my best to update everyday( fingers-crossed and emphasis on **_**try my best **_**). I promise that next chapter onward the tour will begin.**

**Don't forget to vote on my poll!**

**You can PM me with the suggestions for any creatures that you want me to feature or any country that you want me to take them to.**

**And last of all, I'd love a little review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Here's the new chapter. As promised, the tour begins. Frankly, every single person voted for the Encantado, so this time it was a landslide victory. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize, I don't own.**

Chapter 5 Part 1: Encounter with the Encantado

They were alone in a bare room in the Ministry. Hermione absently tightened the strap of her knapsack one last time and gave a nod to Draco. Both firmly held on to each other's hands. At the soft click of an unclasped pendant, they were thrown into a hurricane of powerful magic as the portkey transported them to the shores of the Amazon. Gusts of wind seemed to tear them apart and it was with much effort that they held onto each other. And then in a minute it was over just as abruptly as it had started. The storm around them died down and they were plummeted onto a sandy beach lined by a dense forest.

Hermione immediately collected herself and after brushing off the sand sat cross legged on the sand. Producing a neatly marked map on piece of parchment she cast a quick _Lumos_ and proceeded to identify their location.

Draco on the other hand, dispassionately decided to take a stroll down the beach. The clear night sky dazzled with the light of thousands of stars. He could make out some of the constellations his mother had taught him when he was young and he relished the flawless view that was so rare in England. A cool breeze refreshed his senses. The only sound that his ears could catch were gentle lapping of the waves, the rustle of the palm leaves as they swayed in the breeze and an irritated Hermione muttering under her breath like a madwoman. After walking down quite a distance he realised that the beach was deserted.

He literally ran back to Hermione. "The beach is deserted, we've not landed in the wizarding community, have we!", he exclaimed.

"Took you long enough", Hermione replied placidly before returning to her reading. "I believe that we've landed closer to the last Encantado sighting", she said pointing to the markings on her map. "I guess it'll be better if we just stay here with the muggles, who knows, maybe it's still around here somewhere."

"Okay, but I hope you don't intend to spend the rest of the night on the beach. If you do, you'll find me with civilization", Draco stated before promptly reaching for his backpack. "By the way, Granger, any idea what time it is?"

"Not a clue", she answered back. "Are you headed into the forest? Well, if you are, could you find some fruits? Oh! And also a local resident, too. I'm starving."

"That's a nice way of putting it, Granger. Sure, I'll find a local for you. Do you also want me to find some spices to marinade him or do you just want to roast him on an open fire?" he chucked before dodging the spray of sand she threw his way.

"I need a specimen for the language interpretation spell, idiot!" she said but stopped short when a she caught a familiar sound.

"Someone's coming", Draco stated coolly. "Remember the alias, Granger? I'm Steve Walters and you're …"

"….Serena Morgan, American citizen", she finished.

The rhythmic sound of feet grew louder and gradually the person came into view. It was a man of a lean frame. As he jogged up to them Hermione was very conscious of a pair of intense grey eyes sweeping over her. He was definitely a member of the category of the more handsome males on the planet, she decided.

"If you're done drooling over him, can you act like a normal, sane human being for a change?" Draco smirked beside her.

When they finally met up with him, Hermione would have actually started drooling if it wasn't for the simpering Malfoy beside her. The man wasn't wearing a shirt Hermione got a clear view of his chiselled abs now covered with a sheen of sweat.

"Who are you people, I haven't seen you here before?" the man asked in a deep masculine voice with a prominent Brazilian accent.

"We're traveling, just decided to camp out a bit. Let me introduce, myself. I'm Steve Walters and this is Serena Morgan",Draco said extending.

"Jack Daniels" said the man, giving his hand a firm shake. Then turning to Hermione, he gently took her proffered hand. "It's not every day that you meet a beautiful lady on a morning run", he said, before placing a soft kiss on the top of her hand.

"Itsnicetomeetyou", Hermione squeaked. What the Hell was this man doing to her. She felt all hot and bothered like a teenager at puberty for God's sake!

"I see that you are ready to leave", he said motioning to their packed bags. If you don't mind me asking, will you be joining me at the resort?" he asked.

There was a resort over here! They were saved!

"Yeah, we were just headed there", Hermione gave him a beaming smile. He was even better than a knight in shining armor, he was shirtless!

* * *

To Draco's delight, the resort turned out to be quite a hotspot. It was essentially a clearing in the forest where the guests stayed in tents. There was a large spring nearby, which was the location for the daily nocturnal revelry. Every day, a huge bon-fire was erected around which proceeded the dinner. Even though the place appeared shabby, Hermione had to say that the whole thing was indeed a clever idea. It was merely a ruse of simplicity to placate the more rustic urges of the city-dwellers who thronged to the place to experience the real Brazilian Samba. As each tent was equipped with two beds, Draco and Hermione decided to share a tent.

Upon arrival, Hermione immediately set down to work, unpacking all the important fact sheets and books. Her investigation would have to wait because the sun was yet to rise. Deciding on a little morning stroll herself, she ventured out of the tent. Draco was nowhere to be seen, so she thought of looking for him first.

"Hello there Beautiful, looking for me were you?" a voice said from behind her.

Hermione sharply turned to face the person and met with those same intense grey eyes. "I was just out for a stroll, Jack", she said sunnily before walking up to him.

"Ms Morgan, will you allow me to escort you to a most spectacular sunrise? It's a bit far off, but trust me, it'll be worth the distance", he said offered.

"Sure, I'd love to. Just let me tell Steve and then we can leave."

"If you must", he added with a wink.

"Yes, I must. It won't take a minute, I'll be back soon", she said over her shoulder as she walked back into the tent.

Taking out a piece of charmed parchment, she wrote a note to Draco and then folded it into a swan before ordering it to find Draco. Having done that, she walked out and found Jack.

The walk was a pleasant one. Jack took her on a well frequented trail through the forest. While making small talk, he told Hermione that he had just come from the city where he was researching on a rare plant species. He was here on a week's holiday and it was also his first time. Hermione on the other hand, introduced herself as an American social worker, also on holiday. He asked a fair share of question about Draco and didn't seem satisfied with the fact that he was merely a friend and co-worker.

After dodging the jagged carpet of undergrowth, slippery with moss during a tiring half hour walk uphill through the dense forest they finally arrived. Jack had without any complain, helped her over every stray root or jutting out branch on her way. He took her to the edge of a cliff. Before them the great Amazon River spread out in all its glory. Hermione was mesmerised by its still beauty. And then slowly, as if setting fire to it tranquil waters, the sun rose over the horizon. The sun's rays invoked a new life in every spot it touched. She watched in awe as the world before her awakened from its slumber.

"It's beautiful", Hermione gasped.

"Yeah, it truly is", he said quietly to himself as he gazed upon her face illumined by the golden rays.

However, neither of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them from afar.

**End note: Hmmmm, I smell something fishy, do you? Nah, its probably my mum cooking dinner ;) Or is it?**

**Tell what you think, I'd love a little review.**

**Here are the creatures for this week**

**1. Jackalope (USA)- It's an adorable creature with the body of a rabbit and antlers of a deer.**

**2. Kitsune(Japan)-Its an extremely cunning shape-shifter with takes the form of a fox.**

**3. Hippocamp (Greece)-Its a sea creature with the front like a horse and a coiled and scaly hind part.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay with the chapter, but here it is! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize, it doesn't belong to me!**

Chapter 5 Part 2:

When they returned to the resort, she found Draco unpacking his bag in the tent. Neither did he look up, nor did he say a word when he spotted her trying to slip inside as quietly as possible. He just busied himself in dutifully arranging his extensive supply of toiletries and a grooming range, sufficient to supply a saloon. Sensing his mood, Hermione decided not to comment on it. She could always bring up his eleven varieties of hair gel when she wanted to embarrass him later.

"So, we should probably start talking to these people, it seems that almost everybody has already woken up", Hermione stated in a matter of fact tone as she sat on the bed opposite to his.

"What is it with you, huh? Just went away with the first guy who caught your fancy? You could have at least let me know" Draco said in an irritated manner, all of a sudden.

"Well, after you so conveniently disappeared after we arrived, Jack took me to watch a beautiful sunrise. By the way, I sent you a paper swan, didn't you get it", Hermione said, alarm seeping into her voice.

"No, of course I didn't. When did you send it?"

"I sent it just before I left. Wait, let me go look for it", she said before she said the locating spell. Her wand directed her out of the tent and into a row of bushes nearby. After a few minutes, she returned with a handful of paper bits. "This is all I found, ripped to bits. Someone must have ripped it up so that it couldn't get to you."

"Stupid muggles", Draco muttered under his breath, as he resumed his unpacking or rather, unloading.

"No, that's not the thing. I was positive that nobody was awake when we left" Hermione murmured softly. "Who could have done it?"

* * *

After a hearty breakfast, both of them set out to 'socialize'. Draco headed straight for the sexy barwoman and Hermione went off with Jack.

An early morning glass of cocktail and a few minutes of flirting later, the poor lady was putty in his hands. The bar was fairly empty, so he relaxed into his stool preparing for a mini interrogation. She gave him extensive information about the Encantados. Being a native Brazilian, she had heard folklores about the Encantado since she was a little kid.

They were essentially shape-shifters who appeared as pink dolphins in their animal form. It was a rather cruel creature which liked to charm beautiful women and when they were completely under their enchantment, they would drag them down into the depths of the Amazon. They often appeared to possess the attributes most desirable to their prey, so that they could easily lure them in. When they turned into humans, they always wore a straw hat to cover the blowhole. They were very fond of the night-life and were also known to be very good musicians, always trying to bring attention to themselves. With a shudder of fear, she told him that just two days ago a woman named Alicia had gone missing from the resort and even after extensive searches she was not found. Some foolish person went to consult a shaman or a witch doctor who immediately declared that it had to be an Encantado.

Draco downed the rest of his cocktail in a bored and seemingly unimpressed manner. "That's just a lot of rubbish", he smirked. "What if the said lady just felt like leaving? That's a plausible explanation isn't it?" he flashed a slow smile.

The waitress leaned into him and almost whispered into his ears. "But you see, the Encantado only goes after those women when he feels that it will be a challenge to make them fall for him. In this case, the lady was married to strapping young man and had two kids, hence, there is _no_ reason to believe that she just _fled_."

"That's sad, sad indeed", he mused as he downed the rest of his drink and went to look for Hermione.

* * *

Hermione sunk her feet in the toasty sands of the beach. This was more like the holiday she should have taken years ago. Nothing but the ocean, sunshine and a bloody Encantado. Well, at least beach volleyball qualified as socializing, she thought as Jack dragged her off to meet the rest of his friends. The whole lot of them looked like they'd just walked out of a photo-shoot, she thought. All of them had a lean and a well groomed physique, perfectly tanned under the Brazilian sun. Most of the girls wore their luscious black hair long. Beautiful people, she thought.

They were all very friendly and immediately welcomed her into their group. It was then that a volleyball match between the girls and boys was decided. It took a lot of pleas and promises before Hermione finally agreed to join in. A few minutes couldn't hurt right?

With this determination she returned to the tent and changed into her modest one piece swimsuit. She remembered how Ginny had to spend close to half an hour to convince her buy it only after losing hope of making her wear a bikini. She'd had it altered and specially designed for her. God, she felt horrible for letting her down like that. Ginny hadn't even spoken to her once after that picture of hers in the interview with Malfoy. She hadn't even come to see her off. She remembered the innumerable times Ginny had asked to go out and have some fun without her books and stacks of parchment, not that they weren't fun, mind you. Thus, with the guilt weighing heavily on her, she finally stepped out.

At the beach, most guys brazenly gave her an appreciative once over. She felt like wrapping a shawl around herself countless times but resisted when she noticed that Jack was very approving of her outfit. "Leaves a lot to the imagination, and believe me my mind is running haywire with all the imagination it's doing" he had said with a wink when she had first emerged from her tent. He himself was looking pretty great with the blue shorts he was sporting, she thought as they walked onto the beach.

To her surprise, there was a small crowd of girls just in front of the volleyball net. Curious, she went to take a look…and immediately wished that she hadn't. If Jack was good looking, then she literally had no words to describe Malfoy in swim wear. Now she knew why there was a crowd. His pale skin immediately set him apart from the rest of the sun tanned beach-goers. He looked like a marble rendition of a Greek god as he gracefully stood leaning his towering six foot physique against the pole.

She hadn't given him much thought in school but she had to agree that he had definitely done some growing up of his own. However, the thought in itself was disturbing and she pushed it into the recesses of her he could get the girls to talk so easily, it would only aid their purpose, she reasoned as she walked away. Maybe she didn't notice Jack wince in pain as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away. Otherwise she probably wouldn't have gripped it harder when Malfoy called out to her.

"Looking good Granger!" he yelled with a wolf whistle.

New plan, kill that ferret.

**End Note : Love a little review! And don't forget to vote on this week's poll on my profile!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Here's a new chapter for you guys! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognise, doesn't belong to me.**

Chapter 5 Part 3:

Malfoy was running through the resort, looking for Hermione. She seemed to have a knack for disappearing just when he had to talk to her. Ever since she had arrived at the resort, it was as if she was stuck to that fellow Jack with super glue. Either she was just too good a stalker or _maybe_ he voluntarily spent time with her. Nah, she was probably stalking him. Which sane human being would _voluntarily _want to spent time with Granger of all people? Not that she looked particularly unattractive in that little swimsuit of her, definitely had good legs…..but it wasn't like he was thinking about those legs? What a ridiculous idea, him thinking about Grangers legs, no way. Well anyways, the way she had him running like a race horse these few minutes maybe that's why his thoughts were muddled up. Yes, that was a perfectly plausible explanation.

He found Hermione at the beach taking a walk with ….any guesses? Mr Jack-I'm- so-in-love-with-Granger (didn't have to guess much did you?) "Serena, could I have a minute?" he yelled out.

She literally jumped apart from Jack. "I'm coming", she said over her shoulder. Jack playfully held her hand and whispered something into her ear at which she turned a bright red, making Malfoy wince in disgust. That guy really needed to open his eyes and look around a bit, it was bloody know-it-all Granger! Somebody please save that poor fellow thought Malfoy as he watched Hermione almost skip up to him in glee.

"What is it?" she asked briskly.

"A girl named Rita Graves is missing and we're going on a little search party", Draco declared before walking towards the forest.

"Wait, what about the other people, have they already gone to look for her?" she asked.

"Those foolish muggles wouldn't know where to look for her. Do you know why we weren't asked to report at this resort in the first place?" he asked and smirked at her blank expression.

"Just a few miles away from this resort I've found a stream which stems directly from the Amazon. You wouldn't believe how well guarded that thing was, completely enclosed by the forest. It's a good thing I had a pretty good guide", he said dispassionately. When he saw her surprized expression, he couldn't help the grin on his face. "What! Draco Malfoy knows something which the Brightest Witch of Our Age doesn't?" he exclaimed in mock surprise, "I should get some sort of an award for this."

"Now blow up your ego, you might not fit through the trees", she replied smartly. "And who is this guide of yours anyways?"

"It was this girl, Rita, who is missing; she was the one who took me to see that river the other day. I think that this creature found out about it and killed her simply out of spite."

"How did you get her to take you there in the first place?" Hermione asked, a bit curious.

"Nothing much, just told her that my Grandma wanted me to offer her ashes to the Amazon", he stated in a matter of fact voice.

"And even though you are clearly British she didn't find it odd because….."

"Most women can't think straight after I'm through with them", he smirked, as if waiting for the forest to break into applause at his prowess.

"Ok that's too much information", Hermione said jamming her fingers into her ears. Moments later she went and seized him by the collar. "If this has anything to do with my bed or its vicinity, I swear I am going to make you wash that bed with your bare hands."

"Never knew you were such a fan of McGonagall, what with all the cleaning up without magic", he said as he coolly shrugged her off. "If it's any comfort, we went to her tent", he winked. "Though I have to agree that your bed did look particularly tempting…"

"Shut up Malfoy."

* * *

An eerie silence prevailed over this part of the forest. Not a single bird in the trees, no twittering insects, the only sound was the crunching of the leaves and weeds the trampled on. As they walked deeper into the forest, the trees started growing closer together making the path much narrower than before. The thick foliage above their heads grew denser, almost blocking out the sunlight. The ground was so overrun with undergrowth that it was difficult to walk without having to blast out the plants.

"Draco, did that girl really brave this bloody forest just to please you?" Hermione asked with a bit of disbelief in her voice.

"No, she took me to a rocky outcrop where this stream was just a trickle or water. I traced its way back, we are going higher upstream. That way, it'll be easier to search thorough the entire length of the river", he replied.

"How do you know that the creature brought her here? I mean he could have gone to that other river, where we were supposed to report to in the first place", she asked out of curiosity.

"Don't you get what he's trying to do? Most people are going to search that river because everybody knows about it. Whereas, I doubt that more than a handful of people know about this little stream. Even the last time that girl had gone missing, the wizards didn't bother with this stream, and this time I doubt that it's going to be any different."

"You know what, I've been thinking something. The last time it killed, it was at night. Its damn easy to just slip off and re-join a group of panicked people when its dark. But now it's daytime and think that he would want to be a part of the search party, so that he will have an alibi or even if just to enjoy how miserably they will fail to find her", she said quietly. "He's made a mistake by trying to do away with her while it's still light. This might be our only chance to catch him."

"I hope you're right Granger, this Brazilian sun is just awful for my complexion", he said jokingly, but suddenly an odd sound made him stop in his tracks.

Before she could call out Draco for being insensitive, even her ears caught the sound of the gentle lapping of the waves. "The river is close by",

Gradually, after some more walking the river finally came into view. It spread out before them like a snake lounging in the sun. Its murky waters hid the secrets beneath its treacherous depths. The very sight of the river gave Hermione a sense of foreboding. The trees on either sides of the river spread their canopy over the river, shrouding it in darkness. There was not a sound to be heard, not even a bird or an insect. It seemed like every creature had abandoned this place in fear.

Without further ado they began scrutinizing the water for a sign. After walking a few yards, they finally found it. The water bubbles popping out on the surface said it all, someone was drowning.

**End Note: This chapter was fun to write. By the way, what is up with Hermione and this Jack guy, huh? Well, actually I know what's going on but if you guys wanna know too, you gotta wait for the next chapter!**

**Leave a review, Please! And don't forget to vote on my poll!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I'm posting this chapter now, and because this is short, I'll post the rest of this chapter later today. We are finally approaching to the ending. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Anything that you recognise, I don't own.**

Chapter 5 Part 4:

_Without further ado they began scrutinising the water for a sign. After walking a few yards, they finally found it. The water bubbles popping out on the surface said it all, someone was drowning._

Without wasting a second Hermione jumped into the river and Draco followed close behind after having stripped off his shirt. The water was ice cold, being untouched by the sun for such a long time. However, they swam without complaint to the middle of the river where the bubbles were appearing. Both dived in and at once saw the crumpled form of a girl lying on the riverbed. Draco allowed Hermione to take a hold of the girl's body and helped her reach the shore. Once they were safely ashore, he himself dived back in, this time with a bubble-head charm and a warming charm.

Hermione desperately felt for the girls pulse, but it came as a feeble throb. She quickly cast a _Renervate_ on the girl and propped her head on her lap. For the first few minutes, nothing seemed to be happening as the girl lay motionless in her arms. Hermione lay her back on the ground and urgently gave her mouth to mouth the muggle way. This finally seemed to work as Hermione felt her pulse steadily increasing and sometime later, the effects of the spell kicked in and she coughed up water. In a matter of moments, the girl was sitting up and rubbing her head, like nothing had ever happened. When she realised where she was, she immediately scurried away from Hermione. "Who the hell are you and why am I here?" she asked her accusingly.

Hermione tried to put on her calmest demeanour, "I found you drowning and rescued you just minutes ago, don't you remember anything about it?", she asked as gently as possible.

The girl let down her defences, and made the mistake of looking Hermione in the eye. "Thank you so much but….."

Time was running out. Hermione immediately cast a _Legillimens _on the girl, followed by a _Muffliato_ to stop her screams that followed soon after.

She was immediately hit by a torrent of memories. The very first memory that she saw was that of her and Draco…in a compromising position. She hastily put it aside and moved on. She was greeted by more and more memories of her time with Draco. This girl must have a huge crush on him, she thought. She saw her take him to this very river and saw him drop something akin to ashes into the river as well, smart bastard.

It was only after she saw them return, that she began seeing more and more of a familiar face in all her memories. But how could that be! She hastily moved through all her memories till she saw her last memory, that of her drowning. It was that very same face, those steel grey eyes, that same smile on his lips as he dragged her further into the water. She saw the confusion in her eyes, she heard her pleas for help and finally watched her memory dissolve into a blur as she lost consciousness.

As she withdrew from her mind, the girl collapsed before her, unable to withstand the power of her magic. Hermione now hoisted her limp body by her shoulders and Apparated themselves to a thicket near the resort. From there, she dragged her to the resort. Straightaway, she was surrounded by a group of concerned female who took the girl off her hands and into the makeshift hospital. Hermione herself went back to the tent and after placed several locking charms and muggle-repellent charms, she sunk into the floor. Her hands were cold with fear and her heart was thumping wildly at what she had just seen. Just one question kept repeating in her head 'How was it possible?'

**End Note: Hmm….. I'm thinking, what did Hermione mean when she said 'familiar face'. Surely she didn't mean Crookshanks …or did she? Did Crookshanks have grey eyes? I'll leave at peace to ponder over it. I'll update later today, or the next day, according to where you live in the world!**

**I'd love a review! Don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Don't you just love a good bit of suspense! As promised, here's the next chapter, hope you like it!**

Chapter 5 part 5:

Draco returned in the evening, feeling extremely exhausted. After Hermione had left with the girl, he had scoured the entire length of the river for a clue relating to the last disappearances. All his efforts went in vain. He was not able to find so much as a scrap of fabric to trace back to the girl. However, he had found something far more valuable. He had sensed the intense magic of the Encantado, which proved that it was indeed its hiding place. Not overly dissatisfied, when he returned to the tent, he found Hermione dressed to the nines. She was wearing an extremely low-cut backless black dress that rested quite above her hips. The plunging neckline of the dress flaunted her ample cleavage and its short length showed of her perfectly tanned legs which were further accentuated by racy black heels. Her hair was tamed yet wildly splayed over her shoulder One look at her smoky eyes had him wondering whether Granger had been using a Disillusionment charm on herself all these years. She looked like Seduction personified, he thought as she nonchalantly past him.

"I thought I'd tell you, I think felt like someone was watching us that day jack took me to that cliff", she said as she adjusted her hair in front of the mirror.

"Don't flatter yourself, Granger", he smirked before he headed for the bathroom. "It was probably a girl staring at that guy", he said over his shoulder.

Even though he didn't want to accept it but even after swimming in the freezing cold for the past hour she still made him debate on a cold shower!

* * *

He took time to get ready, after all, if Granger went out looking like _that_, he needed to balance the scale. There was a big party at the beach that night and he needed to talk to Hermione about his findings before it started. However, when he arrived, the party was well underway. He moved through the crowd of people, ignoring all the suggestive looks the girls were sending his way and the unadulterated hate the guys were emanating. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't spot the bushy haired brunette.

Why did she have to go and tame her hair today of all days? With a start, he realised that Granger and her bushy hair had become synonymous in his mind and he felt that even though this sexified version of Granger was way more desirable, he still missed her wild mass of curls. He warily scanned the rest of the crowd. All this while, he was sure that Granger would have always stood out in a crowd for him. But now that she had changed so much, she was so unlike the Granger he knew. She was just one of the crowd now, and that was making it goddam hard to find her.

His eyes drifted to the stage and it was there that he saw her. As expected, she was with that Jack fellow, again. Something about him had always seemed off to Draco. Maybe it was the fact that he like to go on marathon runs at the crack of dawn or maybe it was because he was showing an impossible amount of interest in Granger of all people. But he didn't know why he always felt the need to be cautious around the guy, as if he was constantly being observed. Anyways, if the way those two were dancing Samba was anything to go by, he'd say that Granger's effort at appearing like a human being for a change had paid off.

He turned his back to them and was about to make his way to the bar when someone caught him by the wrist. It was the barwoman.

"Steve, I need to talk to you, it's urgent", she declared as she led him back to the resort.

Draco allowed her to lead him on. She stopped before the bar there and offered him a seat on a stool. It was then that Draco got a clear look at her clouded eyes. She was clearly under the _Confundus_ charm.

"Who asked you to bring me here?" he asked as patiently as possible.

"Hermione did."

If she knew her as Hermione, there was definitely something up. He waited as the girl went around the table and returned with an envelope which she thrust into Draco's hands. He tore open the seal and began reading.

_Malfoy,_

_ I've Confounded the girl, please release her. I want you to meet me at the river where you took me earlier today. You'll find a cluster of rocks along the shore. I'll wait for you there. Remember, when I ask you your father's name, you're going to answer 'Lucius Malfoy'. Please arrive as fast as you can, I think I know who the Encantado is. Find a good hiding place and only come out when I call you. I have no time to answer questions, please just do as I say._

_Granger_

* * *

**End note: I'll post the last chapter later today, so wait for it!**

**Any guesses on who the Encantado might be? I'd say keep guessing, its good exercise for the brain;)**

**Dont forget to vote on the poll on my profile, and you know i'd love a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Another bit of the chapter is up. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 5 Part 6:

It was night time. Hermione carefully seated herself on a large rock by the river which she had just _Scourgified._ The intense darkness seemed to envelope her, the trees did not admit even a silver of moonlight. She had just arrived here with Jack, but he had abruptly left a short while ago promising to return. He had also taken their only torch, so here she was sitting in utter darkness. Her mind was on high alert unless her plan worked out to perfection, there was a sure chance of her not making it out alive.

"Hermione, is that you?" a male voice softly asked from behind her.

In a moment her wand was at his neck, illuminated by a silent _Lumos._ "Draco! Didn't see you there!" she exclaimed, but didn't remove the wand from his neck.

"Umm, I would appreciate it if you removed this stick from my neck, it's kinda itchy, you know", he said with a smile as he himself sat down beside her and turned to face her, looking straight into her eyes.

"What, this little stick? Oh, no I couldn't", she said in a husky voice as she leaned in closer. "But I could remove anything else that you ask me to", she purred into his ear.

Draco leaned into her, his eyes darting between her eyes and her mouth.

"Did I tell you that you look so goddam sexy that I could take you right here , he whispered seductively. "Only if you'd let me, that is."

"Well, you just have t answer one little question then. Who is your father Malfoy?" she asked, her mouth merely inches away from his.

"Huh? Why do you want to know my father's name….."

"Wrong answer malfoy. _Stupefy_! " she said and watched as his eyes grew bigger and finally glazed over as his body fell forward onto her lap.

From somewhere behind her came a shout. "Oi, Granger, did you seriously call me over here to watch you make out with some guy?" huffed an irritated Draco Malfoy as he appeared from behind a bush.

"One question. Who is your father, Malfoy?"

"I think you know bloody well who it is, or you going batty in the head? What did you do to that guy over there" he said, clearly annoyed as he made his way to the rocks.

"Why don't you come and take a look yourself", she stated.

As she lifted his head from her lap, his expression turned into one of horror.

"Do you mean that it was the…"

"Yeah, this was our creature, the Encantado", she said smugly. "And now that we've caught I guess we should return to our room and celebrate on our first victory. What do you say we pick up from where we left off last night…." she said linking her fingers with his. He settled down beside and slung an arm over her shoulder.

"Your wish is my command, milady. This definitely calls for some celebration", he whispered into her ear as he picked up her hand and placed slow kisses on her knuckles.

In a flash, her wand was at his neck and before he could so much as bat an eyelid, he was _Stupefied_.

"Malfoy, please come out from wherever you're hiding", she called out.

Immediately, Draco removed the Disillusionment Charm off himself. "Now that was mentally scarring Granger! Trying to fulfil some wild sexual fantasy of yours are you? Well, it's never gonna happen, so you can just…"

"Who is your father?", Hermione asked in a straight forward manner.

"Lucius Malfoy."

"Good. Now help me Apparate these two to the Ministry", she said pointing at the two figures resembling Draco, now lying stunned on the rocks.

**End note: You know what, I think that while I am writing a story with a lot of suspense, it would be better to post these tiny chapters instead of long ones so that way, if I keep you guys hanging, it'll probably make the story more interesting. I'll revert to longer chapters when I'm writing a fluffier chapter. I'll post the rest of this chapter later today, so you guys gotta wait for it!**

**People please vote on my poll, it's becoming super hard to decide which creature to do next because the votes for two of the creatures are always tied. If you want me to write about any creature of your choice, just send me a PM and put it up on the poll.**

**I've received the request for dragon which I forgot to mention on the poll, like the idiot I am. Just tell me in your reviews whether you guys like the creatures already on the poll or do want a dragon, I'm game for either one of them**

**You know that I'd love a little review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I am really sorry that I forgot to update ('insert puppy face'). Hope you like it!**

Chapter 5 Part 7:

Seated in the office of the Brazilian Minister of Magic before their entire Council of Ministers, Hermione and Draco began their explanation.

"I think that the Encantado sensed my magic and hence, knowing that I was a witch, it decided to make me its target. It was immediately after arriving that we met a man called Jack who began to show an almost unnatural interest in me."

Here Malfoy snorted. "Took me some time to track down these two lovebirds, but when I discovered that the 'romantic sunrise' he took her to was on a cliff that was just a stone's throw away from the river where we found the drowning girl, I figured that this Jack guy probably knew about the river as well. Thing is, I couldn't make out just how much Granger was in control of her faculties around him, so I couldn't tell her that bit of info."

"So it was you who was watching us that day and didn't even bother to tell me", Hermione said, giving him a pointed look.

"Let's continue, shall we", he said unperturbed.

"Ant ways, I realized that there were probably two Encantados when I saw in the memories of the drowning girl that it was indeed Malfoy who had tried to drown her and I was with Jack at that time. Therefore I made a plan…"

"Without bothering to tell me about it", finished Draco, "just sent me a lame letter to be there at this place and not move until she asked me to…"

"And I really respect that you listened to me, really, if you hadn't I doubt that we'd have made it out alive, so thank you", Hermione said sheepishly.

"And that was it really, she dressed up like this huge party girl, had that poor creature all weak in the knee, and then she went and Stupefied them."

"Sir, the Encantado is a very sexual creature. In its true form, it would have easily outmatched us, so we decided to attack when it was at its weakest, when it was …er…extremely turned on. Thus, I lured it in and only when it finally let down its defences enough, I was able to stun it. I did the same for the other Encantado as well", she said looking a tad uncomfortable."I had taken sufficient precautions myself, but I acted as if I was falling under his charm. An Encantado loves to flaunt his prey, so I let him do just that that night. Later, when he suggested that we take a walk, I immediately agreed, knowing well enough that he was going to take me to the river. Even then, for some reason, it thought that I would be more attracted to it if it appeared as Draco, but I was prepared for it."

"What's that supposed to mean? Why the hell would it feel threatened by me of all people?" Draco asked innocently.

"Yeah, that's the billion dollar question", murmured a gossiping old lady seated on the council, breaking into a smile. "Well done you two!"

**End Note: And here we finish the first episode of their travels. You guys if you don't vote on the poll it becomes difficult for me to decide the creature, it's still a tie! **

**I'd love a little review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for posting so late! Hope you guys weren't cursing me. But anyways, here's the first chapter. Actually, there was a tie between Hippocamp and Kitsune, so I've decided to do Hippocamp first and then Kitsune. I loved writing this chapter, had to put in a good bit of research work but it was fun. From today onwards, I'll try to post a chapter a day till this is finished ( 'try' being the keyword). I'll stop rambling now, hope you like the chapter!**

Chapter 6 Part 1: The Hippocampus Affair

Hermione elegantly landed on the cobbled path of a dark alley followed by Draco who elegantly walked into a wall. Cursing heartily, he cast an _Episkey_ on his nose, which had inadvertently broken. Then hauling up his bags, he let Hermione lead him into the streets of the grand city of Athens.

The weather was quite hot and a dry breeze gently blew along the delicious smell of food. The climate was so different from the humid English climate that he was used to that he felt slightly ill at ease. The streets were crowded with people and he felt suffocated as he trudged along to the muggle hotel they were staying in.

Hermione was enjoying herself a lot. Greece was the epicentre of knowledge and the cradle of civilization. At every corner they turned, some curious object caught her eye, reminding her of some elusive fact she had probably read in some book. She had ploughed through the classic, the Iliad and the Odyssey, during her last year at Hogwarts. Now she was filled with awe as she walked along the streets once treaded by many a great men.

"Did you know that Athena, the goddess of wisdom and art is the patron goddess of Athens and hence the name? When the city was built, it is said that both Athena and Poseidon, the god of the seas, bestowed many gifts upon the city in order to become its patron. Poseidon struck the earth with his trident and produced a salt water spring, symbolising naval power and Athena gifted the olive tree, symbolising peace and prosperity. In the end, the city accepted Athena's gift and hence Athens came to be." Hermione looked at Draco for approval for her wonderful little speech, but she took one look at the mask of irritation on his face and kept marching forward, not daring to look back again.

"Why should I care about a damned muggle city, water springing from the ground, indeed!" He would never accept it openly, but this was one city where he was definitely glad that they were to stay with the muggles.

She noticed that Draco was slowly getting more and more annoyed whenever she stopped to examine a little curio on a shop window, but she decided to pay him no attention. But sadly, his patience was short lived. After she brushed off his first warning, he merely walked up to her and after he had firmly gripped her arm and cast a nonverbal silencing spell, he literally dragged her along, despite her silent protests, to the hotel.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon by time they finished unpacking. They had registered themselves as a married couple from England as Mr and Mrs Hale. Once in the room, they first duplicated and then shrunk the beds to fit in. After a heated debate, Draco got the wardrobe and Hermione got the dresser. Much to his horror, she began to stuff parchments into the drawers instead of putting in her makeup like a normal person. Draco decided that a dressing table was indeed wasted on someone like Hermione. Even he could have probably used it better.

They were to stay in Greece for the next nine days in order to settle the treaty between the Hippocamps and the Mermen. They were supposed to report to the Grecian Ministry of Magic the next day for their first briefing, so they were free for the rest of the day.

An ancient city stuffed with artefacts and a bookworm, who probably knew tons about each of them, were a deadly combination. He made a mental note to stay away from Hermione as much as possible.

* * *

**End Note: First and foremost, I'd like to mention that none of these chapters would have been possible without Wikipedia. **

**I'd love it if you leave a little review. As this story allows for a bit of travel, I'd love it if you guys tell me about any special place in Greece that you'd want them to go. You can always mention it in the reviews.**

**Thank you!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note: As promised, the new chapter is up! Sorry guys, but its' going to take quite some time for the Hippocamps to arrive. In the meanwhile you can enjoy a bit of fluff. Thanks to 'The Favourite of The Gods' for the wonderful suggestion, I really really appreciate it.**

Chapter 6 Part 2: A little Grecian shopping spree

Early in the evening, Draco was lounging on his bed while he curiously observed Hermione rummage through her bag for what seemed like a casual dress, as far as 'casual' went for Hermione, that is. She was bent over the bag in intense concentration, and finally when she lifted her head, he saw the look of utter perplexity on her face. "Should I wear a dress or this skirt, right here?" The great Hermione Granger had finally bowed down to the Amazing fashion sense of Draco Malfoy.

Draco looked a bit too smug for her liking. She didn't know why she had blurted it out in the first place. Yeah, years of living without an ambiguous definition of leisure, which might also incorporate office-work, does that to you.

"First of all Granger, I don't think that it's publicly acceptable in any country for women to be wearing just a skirt. Secondly, if you ask me, I'd just burn that skirt right now and go with dress …..and burn it as well, the moment I found clothes actually worn by twenty first century people and not Neanderthals."

"Why can't I just keep my mouth shut", Hermione muttered under her breath as she took one last look at the skirt before putting it away. "So, umm….is this dress really ugly, or…."

Draco just laughed on her face. "You know what why don't you just wrap the hotel towel around yourself and let me buy you a dress once we get out of here."

"Careful Malfoy or it might just seem like you want to spend time with me", Hermione grumbled as she took the dress and headed for the bathroom.

"How you wish!"

* * *

As they walked through the historical locality of Monastiraki, the largest flea market in Athens, a shop suddenly caught Draco's attention. "Why don't you keep walking, Granger, I'll just be back in some time", he told her before he entered the shop. Having nothing better to do, Hermione entered after him and was instantly mesmerised by the beauty of the wares. The shop sold worry beads and the walls were covered with hundreds of strings of beads in different shapes and colours, shining with a demure glow under the dim light of the shop that was beautifully reflected by the large array of mirrors.

Hermione listlessly fingered a string of beads. They were strung together in a strange manner leaving a good part of the string bare. Hermione picked up a stunning string of turquoise beads and holding it around her neck, went to examine her reflection in front of a mirror. A small old lay walked up to her and gently removed then from her neck.

"This….. not necklace, this _kompoloi_, ….worry beads", she explained in broken English. Then twisting the string around her fingers, she began to tell the beads with a soft clicking sound. "See,….. this no necklace, this worry beads", she described with a smile.

"Oi, Granger? I told you not to follow me" Draco said with a hint of irritation in his voice as he walked over from the counter he was formerly at.

"Malfoy, these aren't necklaces, they are a kind of worry beads", she explained.

"You think I don't know that", he asked tersely as he walked out of the shop. Hermione quickly said goodbye to the kind old lady and found Malfoy waiting for her.

"Hmmm, I wonder why you'd need worry beads for, Malfoy. Can't keep track of your numerous girlfriends, I presume?" Hermione asked playfully.

Malfoy was now feeling very annoyed. "They're for my mother, you idiot", he sneered but realised too late what he'd spoken.

"Why would Mrs Malfoy need worry beads?", Hermione asked in a small voice.

"They're supposed to bring peace of mind, all right. Not everybody has had rainbows and sunshine after the war, Granger. Some of us have had to suffer a lot…." Draco continued but stopped when he felt a warm hand on his.

"I understand what you mean, Malfoy, but remember that every single person suffered great losses. You're not alone in this Malfoy, there are hundreds of people besides you who have had to go through a lot after the war", Hermione stated understandingly. "By the way, it's really great that you care about your mum so much, Malfoy", she added in a softer voice.

"Whatever", he muttered before he started walking away at a faster pace. "Come on Granger, there is something I want to try" he called out over his shoulder as he signalled for her to come over.

Hermione smiled a little to herself as she walked on. "Wait up, I'm coming!"

* * *

**End Note: I'd love it if you leave a little review! I'd especially love it if you tell me some cool places in Greece you'd like them to visit. As long as there is Wikipedia, rest assured that all your demands will be met with!**

**Thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for nit updating yesterday. I went on a long road trip with my parents and when I returned, I was just so tired that I didn't have the energy to edit this chapter. Hence, I've re-written this chapter to make it longer! I hope this chapter satisfies a bit of your fluff cravings **

Chapter 6 Part 3:

Hermione found Draco at a drink stall where the table was dominated by two beautiful huge bronze urns. Hermione translated the Greek and made out that it was some kind of drink. Draco himself ordered two cups of the frothing liquid and it arrived in neat thermocol cups with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a heavenly aroma. Hermione took a curios little sip and relished it's delicate flowery yet nutty flavour. "What is this?" she asked graciously. "It tastes delicious!"

"This is _Salep_, it's actually a kind of orchid tea", he remarked off-handedly, before resuming his walking.

"Who knew that you of all people would have a taste for muggle drinks?" Hermione said thoughtfully.

"See it this way, I'm an Brit aren't I, and I believe that we British are very particular about our tea."

"Hmm, that's a good explanation", Hermione mused as she finished the last of her tea before casting it away. "It seems that you know quite a lot about muggle Greece. I mean not that I think about you as muggle-hater or anything but I'm just curious."

Draco hesitated awhile before he continued. "After father was sentenced to Azkaban, I and mother took a long holiday in Greece. As both of our magic had been suspended for the time being, we decided to stay in muggle Greece instead. So, I might know a thing or two about this place."

"So how are your mum and dad?" Hermione asked, trying to change the topic.

"Mother is alright, she's doing fine. Father's dead."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

The next few minutes were weighed down with an awkward silence. Finally, Hermione spotted a adorable little spice store and decided to venture in. An exotic smell of the various spices immediately hit her nose and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Ginny would love some of these she thought as she perused through the racks of neatly arranged spices. Ever since Teddy had started teething, Ginny had taken up cooking with a vengeance. But sadly, Ginny hadn't even made an effort to return any of her owls ever since she'd left.

"If you're looking for something for Potter, I suggest that you get this" Draco informed her and pointed out rows of some baskets. "We saw them the last time we were here. They contain a good supply of most of the popular spices."

These would be perfect for Ginny, she thought as she browsed through the cute little baskets. "How did you know that I was thinking of Ginny?" she smiled.

Malfoy chuckled. "From the amount of lunch she packs for Potter, it isn't hard to guess. Besides, I wouldn't really peg you as the cooking type."

"Oh, so I'm the always- eat- outside- because- I- can't –cook- to –save- my –life type" Hermione grinned. "You are kind of correct, though."

"Let me guess, never got the time?" he smirked.

"Yup, absolutely!" she said as she purchased the spice basket and walked out.

"Potter told me that the two of you got into some kind of an argument after that article, and…..I'm sorry I made such a mess of it, it was very immature of me."

"It's okay, Malfoy." Then in a lighter mood, she turned around to face him. "By the way, since you have been quite agreeable today, I'll let you choose the restaurant this time."

"I'm honoured. But to be frank, I want to try the street food", he said as he brought her to a vendor and ordered souvlakia salads for themselves.

The souvlakia salad came wrapped in warm pita bread with a generous filling of roasted chicken, a vision of gastronomy.

"This is… (gulp)….. the best …..(bite)… thing… (chew)…. on earth!" Hermione declared as the balanced the bread with great agility to stay clear of the dripping sauce and the chicken which kept falling out.

"You've got sauce on your face", Draco told her before he added a napkin to her already growing pile of things to balance. After a few tries to wipe it off, one of them almost costing her the salad itself, Hermione was content with sporting a giant blob of sauce on her chin.

"Aren't you going to do anything about it?" he asked her motioning to the blob of sauce.

"Can't", she informed him between mouthfuls of food.

"You're such a klutz." Then taking another napkin he gingerly wiped it off himself.

Hermione was transfixed to the spot. Never in a million years had she imagined that one day she would be sharing a meal, in Greece, with Draco Malfoy, _and_ have him wiping off splotches of sauce from her face, while standing merely inches apart. Her entire face went blank and as she stood open mouthed in wonder, a piece of chicken fell out of her mouth and back into the salad.

Awkward.

"Thank you." Okay, at least she was acting like a normal person. Well, until the chicken incident, but she was hoping he hadn't seen it.

Whether he had noticed it and decided to keep shut, she didn't know. They finished the rest of their salad in silence, till he suggested the try the _Pastelli_ for dessert.

Hermione practically inhaled the delightful little squares of sesame and pistachio, bound together by oodles of delicious honey.

"I owe you one, seriously, this is just too good!" Hermione declared as she attacked her seventh piece of _Pastelli_.

"Slow down, Granger, do you have any idea how many calories this is?" he teased as he gently nibbled the confection.

"To Hell with calorie, if I could have this every day, I'd ….i don't know,…..do something pretty wild, that's for sure!"

He smiled. He had finally found a girl who actually ate food for a change and not some excuse of a salad. But this wasn't a date, absolutely not. Just some colleagues out for dinner, he reminded himself. But it felt nice to watch her enjoy the food, to be able to reveal a side of himself he always kept reserved.

As they walked back to the hotel, Hermione couldn't help but ponder upon the fact that she had just spent the day with Draco, yet it hadn't been that bad at all. In fact, it was the most fun she had since baked her first successful cake last Christmas. Maybe Draco wasn't so bad after all.

**End Note: I hope you guys liked this chapter! Technically, Draco and Hermione have only been together for four days, so I guess it's kind of early for them to be getting closer. **

**As always, I'd love it if you leave a little review!**


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